Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” asks many questions about the credibility of law enforcement and punishment in the 1800’s, such as: “when and why was the death penalty used”, “what kind of law enforcement was used”, and “why were women criminals presumed to be insane”. Justine Moritz, the Frankenstein’s house servant is charged and executed for the murder of William Frankenstein, but when Victor is accused of murdering Henry Clerval, an old friend, he is acquitted. Crime and law enforcement in the 1800’s was unpredictable, with people getting charged for the wrong crime or criminals not getting charged at all.
Up until 1850, New York City had no official police. When politicians did get around to organizing law enforcement, they actually created two different groups— one called Metropolitans, and the other called Municipals. Citizens recognized the city police by their copper badges. The two rival police forces battled against one another, sometimes freeing criminals imprisoned by the opposing force (McIntosh, 160). The rift between the two corrupted police organizations eventually led to The Great New York Police Riot in 1857. These riots led to a lot of death and in the fall of 1857, the Municipal police was eradicated from the city.
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After the riots that formed due to corruption by two separate law organizations, citizens and law officers began to reevaluate the system, by eliminating the revenge and disincentives between the officers. Correction Centers with the purpose of remodeling criminals began to pop up in the early 1800’s in the United States. Penitentiaries and asylums were a form of imprisonment for criminals and the mentally ill. Many of these institutions were dirty and crowded and were being reformed to fit the mentally ill’s